Safety and Health
The number of occupational accidents (lost working days >1) increased by 19.5% in 2018 compared to 2017. In 2018 Sustainability Report the year under review, 10.4 occupational accidents per 1,000 employees were recorded (previous year: 8.7). In 2018, injuries caused absences, on average, of 18.4 days (previous year: 22). Due to this unexpected result, Sika will process safety programs in 2019, covering all regions and countries, with the objective being to place greater emphasis on employee participation and to avoid small accidents due to lack of attention.The number of occupational accidents (lost working days >1) increased by 19.5% in 2018 compared to 2017. In 2018 Sustainability Report the year under review, 10.4 occupational accidents per 1,000 employees were recorded (previous year: 8.7). In 2018, injuries caused absences, on average, of 18.4 days (previous year: 22). Due to this unexpected result, Sika will process safety programs in 2019, covering all regions and countries, with the objective being to place greater emphasis on employee participation and to avoid small accidents due to lack of attention.
Energy Efficiency
Energy consumption per ton sold was in 2018 424 megajoules (previous year: 450 megajoules), which leads to a reduction of 5.8% compared to the previous year. Overall energy consumption was reduced by 22% (target 15%) from 2013 to2018, from 541 MJ/t to 424 MJ/t.
The decrease in energy consumption is a consequence of a global strategy: Sika continued to replace lighting solutions with the latest LED technology. This technology has led to substantial energy savings of up to 70% of total lighting electricity consumption in those locations where the technology was implemented. Furthermore, shorter batch time in production led to a higher output on existing production lines, resulting in increased energy efficiency. The replacement of technical equipment focuses on new energy efficient installations, such as motors, airconditioning, heating/cooling, and pressurized air systems. Further activities encompass energy efficient operation of electric motors with frequency converter, leakage detection and fixation of air losses in pressurized air systems, and energy efficient cooling of process water with use of cooling tower and optimized logistics.
The modernization of the vehicle fleet in 2018 also resulted in fuel reduction. Energy audits and participation at energy networks promoted energy awareness throughout the company.
CO₂-Emissions (Direct)
CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels by all Sika companies, and by its own vehicles, are calculated based on the reported fuel quantities. In 2018, CO2 emissions from the use of primary energy sources amounted to approximately 48,000 tons (previous year: 53,000).
CO₂-Emissions (Indirect)
CO2 emissions from electricity consumption and leased vehicles, as well as business travel, are derived from the reported energy quantities. CO2 emissions caused by purchased electricity are calculated using current emission factors from the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG), applying average values for electric power production in each particular country. In 2018, CO2 emissions caused by electricity consumption were calculated at 109,000 tons (previous year:102,000 tons), i.e. more than twice as high as direct CO2 emissions. Leased vehicles and business travel caused additional CO2 emissions of 20,000 and 14,000 tons respectively (previous year: 22,000 and 16,000 tons).
Use of Water
In 2018, Sika used approximately 1.8 million cubic meters of water. The water consumption per ton sold was around 0.39 cubic meters (previous year: 0.32 cubic meters). This increase is mainly caused by acquisitions processed in 2017, which were taken into account in 2018. Without considering acquisitions, the water consumption would remain at the same level as in the previous year. However, overall the water consumption was significantly reduced by 42% (target 15%) from 2013 to 2018 from 0.67 m3/t to 0.39 m3/t.
Waste
With an increased production volume, Sika generated some 84,000 tons of waste. This corresponds to 18.1 kilograms of waste per ton sold (previous year: 18.4 kilograms per ton sold), or a decrease of 1.6%. Overall, Sika could reduce the amount of waste per ton sold by putting in place activities such as optimization of the production planning, streamlining the production process layout, and the reuse of production waste. In addition, water from cleaning processes (tanks, bulk delivery trucks and gas scrubbers) was reused. Furthermore, filter dust from dosing and bagging stationswas recycled into similar products in mortar production. Innovative warehouse management was also put in place to reduce the amount of expired products. In conclusion, taking into account all acquisitions since 2013, Sika was able to keep the waste rate per ton sold at the same level.
Global Reporting Initiaitive (GRI)
Sika’s sustainability strategy is closely linked to the corporate strategy and encompasses six targets that cover the economic, environmental and social dimensions. Included among the tactics employed to globally implement the sustainability strategy were the “More Value – Less Impact” campaign, and the introduction at a local level of the target and reporting system in line with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards.